Apparatus and method for blending multiple images

• US 8,977,073 B2
• Filed: 11/17/2009
• Issued: 03/10/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 12/16/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Kwon, Jae-hyun, Choe, Won-hee, Lee, Seong-deok
• Primary Examiner(s): Carter, Aaron W
• Application Number:
  US12/619,712
• Publication Number:
  US 20100150473A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,939 Days
• Field of Search: 382/162, 382/154, 382/274, 382/284
• US Class Current: 382/284
• CPC Class Codes: G06T 5/50 using two or more images, e.g. averaging or subtraction

Abstract

Disclosed is an apparatus to blend a high dynamic range (HDR) image or a plurality of images captured with different exposure settings to multiple images, and a method thereof. A multiple image blender receives a high dynamic range (HDR) image or a plurality of images captured with different exposure settings, and controls setting of one or more areas of interest or setting of one or more gradation levels, and combines and blends the HDR image or the plurality of images captured with different exposure settings corresponding to each area of interest or at each gradation level, and generates at least one multi-exposure image.

Claims

1. A multiple image blender, comprising:

a controller to receive a single high dynamic range (HDR) image of a scene, and to control setting of a plurality of areas of interest in the HDR image and setting of a gradation level for each area of interest; and

an image processor to blend the HDR image corresponding to each area of interest by assigning different long-exposure and short-exposure weights to the areas of interest at each respective gradation level, to generate a plurality of multi-exposure images according to a number of areas of interest with different gradation distributions that comprise a range of gradation between a lightest gradation level to a darkest gradation level, from among the gradation levels of the plurality of areas of interest.

2. The multiple image blender of claim 1, further comprising:

an image acquiring unit to generate or receive the HDR image.

3. The multiple image blender of claim 2, wherein the controller further comprises:

an area-of-interest setter to set, as being an area of interest, an area focused automatically when the HDR image is acquired.

4. The multiple image blender of claim 2, wherein the image acquiring unit adjusts an exposure time of the HDR image such that dynamic ranges of the plurality of multi-exposure images overlap each other.

5. The multiple image blender of claim 1, wherein the controller sets an area of interest based on information about extracted edge components or according to a user'"'"'s input.

6. The multiple image blender of claim 1, wherein the number of multi-exposure images generated equals the number of areas of interest.

7. A multiple image blending method, the method comprising:

receiving a single high dynamic range (HDR) image of a scene;

setting a plurality of areas of interest in the HDR image and setting a gradation level for each area of interest; and

generating a plurality of multi-exposure images by blending the HDR image corresponding to each area of interest by assigning different long-exposure and short-exposure weights to the areas of interest at each respective gradation level to generate a plurality of multi-exposure images according to a number of areas of interest with different gradation distributions that comprise a range of gradation between a lightest gradation level to a darkest gradation level, from among the set gradation levels.

8. The multiple image blending method of claim 7, wherein the receiving of the HDR image comprises:

adjusting an exposure time of the HDR image such that dynamic ranges of the multi-exposure images overlap each other.

9. The multiple image blending method of claim 7, wherein the number of multi-exposure images generated equals the number of gradation levels.

10. A multiple image blending method, the method comprising:

receiving a high dynamic range (HDR) image of a scene, the HDR image comprising a short-exposure image (SEI) and a long-exposure image (LEI) of the scene;

setting a plurality of areas of interest in the HDR image and setting of a gradation level for each area of interest; and

generating a plurality of multi-exposure images by blending the HDR image corresponding to each area of interest by assigning different long-exposure and short-exposure weights to the areas of interest at each respective gradation level, to generate a plurality of multi-exposure images according to a number of areas of interest with different gradation distributions that comprise a range of gradation between a lightest gradation level to a darkest gradation level, from among the gradation levels of the plurality of areas of interest.

11. The multiple image blending method of claim 10, wherein the setting of the plurality of areas of interest comprises:

setting, as being an area of interest, an area focused automatically when the HDR image is acquired.

12. The multiple image blending method of claim 10, wherein the receiving of the HDR image comprises:

adjusting an exposure time of the HDR image such that dynamic ranges of the plurality of multi-exposure images overlap each other.

13. The multiple image blending method of claim 10, wherein the setting of an area of interest comprises:

setting the area of interest based on information about extracted edge components or according to a user'"'"'s input.